Photography system and method including a system for lighting the scene to be shot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9934445-B2
Application number	US-201415030993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2014
Priority date	Nov 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a method/system for taking, by an imaging device, one or more images of an object or a part of an object presented at a distance in front of the imaging device, the object being illuminated by a lighting system. The method/system may include: estimating a 3D model of the object as it will be at a predetermined time when taking the image by the imaging device; simulating, using the estimated 3D model, the illumination of the object as it will be at said time to obtain estimated images of the object in respectively a plurality of envisaged lighting modes of the lighting system; selecting a lighting mode of the lighting system from the estimated images; and controlling the lighting system to be in the selected lighting mode; and controlling the imaging device, at the time of the taking of the image of the object, to effect the taking.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for taking, by means of an imaging device, one or more images of an object or of a part of an object presented at a distance in front of said imaging device, said object being illuminated by means of a lighting system, wherein the method comprises:
estimating a 3D model of the object as it is at a predetermined time of the taking of the image by said imaging device,
simulating, using said 3D model thus estimated, the illumination of the object as it is at said time in order to obtain estimated images of said object in respectively a plurality of envisaged lighting modes of said lighting system,
selecting a lighting mode of the lighting system from the estimated images, and
controlling the lighting system so that it is in the lighting mode that was selected, and
controlling the imaging device, at said time of the taking of the image of said object, so that said taking is effected while the object is illuminated in the lighting mode that was selected.

2. The method for taking an image according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation of a 3D model uses a method that uses the images taken by a 3D photography system.

3. The method for taking an image according to claim 2 , wherein said 3D photography system is a structured-light system.

4. The method for taking an image according to claim 2 , wherein said 3D photography system comprises a time-of-flight camera.

5. The method for taking an image according to claim 2 , wherein the estimation of said 3D model uses a stereoscopic method using pairs of views taken by said 3D photography system, said 3D photography system comprising either two cameras taking respectively the views of each pair simultaneously, or a camera taking the views of each pair at two different times.

6. The method for taking an image according to claim 5 , wherein one of the two cameras or said camera of said 3D photography system constitutes the imaging device.

7. The method for taking an image according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation of the 3D model comprises:
determining a plurality of 3D models of said object on respectively a plurality of successive occasions, and
estimating said 3D model of the object by extrapolation from said 3D models of said object.

8. A system for taking views of an object, of a type comprising:
an imaging device,
a lighting system designed to illuminate said object, and
circuitry adapted for:
estimating a 3D model of the object as it is at a predetermined time T 0 of the taking of images by said imaging device,
simulating, using said model thus estimated, the illumination of the object as it is at said time T 0 in order to obtain estimated images of said object in respectively a plurality of envisaged lighting modes of said lighting system,
selecting a particular lighting mode of the lighting system from said estimated images,
controlling said lighting system in the lighting mode that was selected, and
controlling the imaging device, at said time T 0 , so that the image of said object is taken while the object is illuminated in the lighting mode that was selected.

9. The system for taking views of an object according to claim 8 , wherein the system comprises a 3D photography system for estimating the 3D model.

10. The system for taking views of an object according to claim 9 , wherein said 3D photography system is a structured-light system.

11. The system for taking views of an object according to claim 9 , wherein said 3D photography system comprises a time-of-flight camera.

12. The system for taking views according to claim 9 , wherein said 3D photography system comprises two cameras, and the circuitry is also adapted for determining said 3D model using a stereoscopic method.

13. The system for taking views of an object according to claim 10 , wherein the circuitry is also adapted for:
determining a plurality of 3D models of said object on respectively a plurality of successive occasions, and
using said 3D models of said object, for estimating said 3D model of the object.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a program stored thereon, said program comprising instructions or code parts for implementing a method for taking an image of an object when said program is executed by a processor, the method comprises:
estimating a 3D model of the object as it is at a predetermined time of the taking of the image by said imaging device,
simulating, using said 3D model thus estimated, the illumination of the object as it is at said time in order to obtain estimated images of said object in respectively a plurality of envisaged lighting modes of said lighting system,
selecting a lighting mode of the lighting system from the estimated images,
controlling the lighting system so that it is in the lighting mode that was selected, and
controlling the imaging device, at said time of the taking of the image of said object, so that said taking is effected while the object is illuminated in the lighting mode that was selected.

Assignees

• Morpho

Inventors

• Rouh Alain
• Beaudet Jean
• DURA Jérémy
• Rostaing Laurent

Classifications

• G06V10/141

  Control of illumination · CPC title

• G06V20/64 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] objects · CPC title

• G06K9/2027 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00201

  Physics · mapped topic